The Beginning of Blackshire Farm

Greetings, we are John and Joanne Middleton, the owners of Blackshire Farm. John grew up on a farm in the Hawkes Bay and Joanne is a local whose family are into their third generation of a local seedling Nursery.

We love raising our family on the farm and the lifestyle it provides for our children.

We purchased our little farm early in 2012. Over the years we have tried our hand at a lot of different animals trying to find the best fit for us, our land and lifestyle. A portion of our property incorporates a flood channel so the wetter grounds lend better to lighter weight animals like sheep rather than beef cattle.

We have a large vegetable garden, berry patch and a young fruit orchard. We have a free range flock of chooks in the orchard who control bugs naturally while providing the family with free range eggs.

We also raise all meat for our family on the property, knowing that everything is treated humanely and with respect. We raise meat chicken, ducks and turkeys. In addition to sheep, we have also raised beef calves and pigs.